Sites and Schedule

Site: 6 3/4 miles north of Alma on U.S. Highway 183 or 1/4 mile south of the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 & Nebraska Highway 42A (Huntly Road). The program will start at the Vince Colgan place.

Gothenburg — Thursday, August 7 at 6 p.m.

Site: 1.5 miles east of the intersection of Nebraska Highway 47 and Road 767/27th Street (north edge of Gothenburg) on the north side of the road.

Axtell — Monday, August 11 at 6 p.m.

Site: 3.75 miles north of the intersection of U.S. Highways 6 & 24 Road (1 mile east of Axtell) on the east side of the road.

Edison — Thursday, August 14 at 2 p.m. and Friday, August 15 at 10 am.

Site: 7.5 miles east of the intersection of US Highway 283 & Road 728 or 1/8 mile east of the intersection of Road 728 & Road 432. The plot is on the south side.

Loomis — Tuesday, August 19 at 10 am.

Site: 3 miles south of the intersection of Nebraska Highway 23 & Road E (2 miles west of Loomis) Turn east on Road 733. The plot is .25 mile east on the north side of the road.

Ainsworth — Wednesday, August 20 at 6 p.m.

Site: 5.5 miles west of Ainsworth on US Highway 20 and 2.5 miles north on a county road. The plot is on the west side of the road.

Imperial — Tuesday, August 26 at 5 p.m. MDT.

Site: 5 miles west of Imperial on US Highway 6, turn north on Avenue 327. The plot is .25 mile north on east side of road.

Benkelman — Thursday, August 28 at 5 p.m. MDT.

Site: 6 miles west of the intersection of Nebraska Highway 61 and Road 712 (6 miles north of Benkelman). Turn north on to Avenue 332. The plot is .75 mile north on Avenue 332 on the east side of the road.

Upland — Thursday, August 28 at 5 p.m.

Site: 6 miles east of the intersection of Nebraska Highways 4 and 10 by Road 38 on the south side of highway.

Curtis — Thursday, September 4 at 10 am.

Site: From Nebraska Highway 23 & Center Street (flashing light in Curtis), 6 blocks north to dead end, turn east (right) 0.5 block, then north (left) and follow the road 1.5 miles (road curves to the west). Turn into field road.

August 1, 2008

Faced with increasing fuel and nitrogen prices, producers wanting to get the most from the water and nitrogen they apply will want to attend one of this year's Irrigation Strategies Field Tours.

Sponsored by UNL Extension, the tours offer the producers and crop consultants a chance to see demonstrations of how soil moisture monitoring equipment and irrigation strategies are being applied in farmer fields, said Steve Melvin, Extension Educator and program coordinator. A primary focus for the tours will be water conservation.

Melvin's goal is to make the decision of when and how much irrigation water to apply as easy as keeping fuel in the tank using the fuel gauge. Applying excess water costs extra money, leaches nitrogen below the root zone, and can lower yields, but applying too little water can also lower yields. Applying the optimum level of water is more important today than ever.

The program will teach methods to get the most effective use from your irrigation water and energy dollars by obtaining top pumping plant performance, selecting lower cost energy sources, and applying the optimum amount of water.

Tour topics will include: Predicting the Last Irrigation; Lowering Irrigation Energy Costs; Monitoring Crop Water Use and Soil Moisture Status — Simple, Durable, Accurate, and Economical Tools; Water Savings with Crop Residue Management; and How Time of Application and Amount of Water Applied Effects Crop Yield.